A multi-interface platform for teaching sensor systems using Unity, web, and ROS interfaces
Abstract
Practical experience with sensor systems is essential in engineering education, yet providing scalable laboratory environments for large student groups remains challenging. This work presents a multi-interface platform designed to teach sensor systems through progressive interaction with virtual and physical systems. The platform integrates sensors, microcontrollers, network communication, and interactive interfaces. Students connect sensors such as Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs), rotary encoders, and infrared sensors to microcontrollers. The measured signals are transmitted via wireless communication to external interfaces where they control system behavior. The platform supports three complementary interfaces. First, the Unity Interface allows intuitive visualization and rapid experimentation with sensor-driven interaction in a safe virtual scene. Second, the Web Interface enables distributed interaction with a shared digital factory scene accessible through standard web browsers. Finally, the Robot Operating System Version 2 (ROS) interface extends the same sensing concepts to robotic simulation and real robotic hardware, where sensor signals influence the motion and behavior of robotic arms. The proposed platform enables a progressive learning approach in which students move from virtual experimentation to real-world robotic interaction. It demonstrates how modern sensor education can combine simulation and physical robotics within one unified platform.
Authors 4
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A. Baraka Aachen
Affiliation as printed
RWTH Aachen University (Germany)
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Affiliation as printed
RWTH Aachen University (Germany)
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A. Göppert Aachen
Affiliation as printed
RWTH Aachen University (Germany)
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R. Schmitt Aachen
Affiliation as printed
RWTH Aachen University (Germany)